In the hushed halls of Paris Fashion Week, where spectacle often reigns supreme, Hermès offered something quieter, but no less striking: a study in sculptural restraint, sensual materiality, and modular mastery. For the women’s Fall-Winter 2025 collection, artistic director Nadège Vanhée reminded us that true elegance lies not in volume, but in intention — in the cut of a shoulder, the rigidity of felt that moves like leather, the movement of a coat transforms into a blanket.
Guests entered the Garde Républicaine to find a winding brown felt runway curving through the space like a kind of soft sculpture. The floor was layered in equestrian sod, a cheeky nod to the house’s heritage. Just before the show began, staff raked the uneven sod in an almost meditative gesture ahead of the first models emergence.
The collection opened with silhouettes carved with architectural rigour: luxurious outerwear, cinched waists, and long sculptural lines accentuated with leather striping. “Sculptural, resilient, seductive,” read the house’s notes — three words informing every look. The tension between protection and sensuality played out in every detail with soft knits accented with leather serving as the base balanced with structured outerwear and accessories, with other looks of predominantly leather, some cinched at the waist with braided leather cord finished with whimsical tassles.
Felt, a typically utilitarian fabric, was elevated into a supple, fluid, and luxurious position within the collection, even making its way onto a few Birkens and Picotins. Paired with bold lambskin, denim reinforced with leather interfacing, and quilted panels, it felt as though it “flowed like leather” throughout the collection.
Cashmere and silk turtlenecks peeked from beneath grained goatskin peacoats while bomber jackets in silk gabardine added a gentle sheen. Feminine gestures balanced the rigour of tailoring. Saddle flaps transformed into shorts. A coat unzipped to become a blanket. The line between garment and object was fluid.
The color palette was restrained to charcoal, volcanic, slate greys, and marble whites for most of the show until an emotionally charged pop of luminous cypress, linden, and pine green made everyone gasp, before fading back into deep browns and printed velvet, recalling a horse’s coat. Rooted in nature and heritage, these colours felt timeless yet contemporary — a fitting reflection for the brand.
While the Kelly was deliberately absent from the accessories this season, other new bag styles included the Sac Malette, Malette Vanity Case, Malette Minaudière, Double Longe, Besace Attelée, and Petit Sac. The Sac Malette has to be our favourite with its understated rectangular clasp resembling the mixed metal links of a Hermès Rallye watch, and of course, the Malette Vanity Case to house one’s Hermès Beauty collection.
The craftsmanship extended to fine perforations and signature stitching in ready-to-wear and accessories alike. Footwear included pointed-toe riding boots and lace-up and slip-on pumps, while hand warmers completed the look sometimes extending past the wrist into a sleeve.
“She takes a stride. Determined. She moves forward, never looks back. She has everything she needs,” the collection notes conclude. Indeed, the Hermès woman doesn’t ask for permission or chase trends but rather chooses pieces that endure.
Watch the Fall-Winter 2025 show and browse the collection below.
Images by Filippo Fior courtesy of Hermès.